If you're ever in my situation and you find yourself having to stay up all night reading a 20 pound text book about Business Law while simultaneously taking notes on the computer screen - you may also find yourself wondering why the words keep getting harder and harder to see (let alone comprehend) and, if there is anything in the world that could possibly better your situation. Well, lucky for you - I have just the thing.
A few things to be learned here:
1. All-Nighters suck & coffee is wonderful.
2. After lengthy periods of time looking at small text, like the letters in a text book or those on a computer screen, you may begin to experience blurred vision.
So what does this mean?
Your eyes are most likely strained from shifting your focus from the text book to the computer screen and back.
What can we do?
Computer glasses and lenses are a great option for this situation. What makes computer glasses unique is that they contain a prescription for optimal intermediate distance viewing (a little farther than reading distance, but closer than driving distance), and combine it with the Anti-Reflective coating that helps reduce glare from the screen which can cause headaches and increased eyestrain.
Eye care doctors in college towns, like our Bloomington Eye Doctor, suggest computer glasses quite often to students to help with focus on school work.
And the benefits are:
With a simple eye examination you can get your intermediate distance measured and, of course, a pair of computer glasses. You'll experience reduced eye strain, fewer headaches, increased ability to focus, and hopefully better grades as a result!
Time to get back to school work!
On Sunday, I was fortunate enough to attend the first
Colts game of the year (thank you to the fine attorneys at
Hall Render for the tickets!). What an incredible day. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. Walking to the stadium was amazing; there were thousands of die-hard Colts fans in their blue and white jerseys yelling their support for the team. When I walked into
Lucas Oil Stadium, they had opened the roof and the north end wall so the sun was shining in and right before kick-off they had four fighter planes do a fly-over.
One of the reasons I enjoyed the day so much, besides obvious reasons, is that I have the benefit of wearing the best contact lenses available. Working for an eye care doctor, I get to try a wide variety of premium contact lenses. One of the most comfortable lenses for me is the
Air Optix Aqua contacts by
Ciba Vision. When I am out on the weekends, I prefer to wear contact lenses over glasses and lenses as they are a better fit for me when I am out and about in a more active manner. And trust me, I was very active in cheering for the Colts on Sunday! Seriously, though, the Air Optix Aqua contacts work for me because they wear well on my eyes and give me great vision, without the discomfort of having dry eyes. They were definitely a contributing factor to a very enjoyable day, along with a win for the
Colts. Go Horse!
There are a variety of eye health warning signs, each of which should be monitored consistently. The best way to detect problems with your eyes is to have a regular eye examination with your eye care doctor. Please see your Indiana Eye Doctor if you have any of the following eye health warning signs:
- eye pain or discomfort
- blurred vision
- colored halos around lights
- large amount of spots and floaters
- inflammation of eyelids and/or eyelashes
- sudden noticeable changes in vision
- weakening of color vision
- tunnel vision
- physical changes in the eye
Simply put, Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a condition caused by the prolonged focusing of the eyes on a computer display. Symptoms can include eye strain, fatigue and difficulty refocusing the eyes. This is an increasing problem for children as the use of computers by children has increased dramatically over the years. The increased usage of computers causes children to focus and strain their eyes a lot more than other tasks. Whereas years ago children would use their near vision to focus on the papers at their desk and their distance vision for focusing on the blackboard, school age kids today spend much more time focusing on their computers in front of them.
While there isn't a study that can directly prove a cause and effect of increased computer use to early myopia, there is some corollary data to consider. Since 1995, the percent of first graders with myopia has almost doubled.
Given the change in our computer usage patterns over the years, it is important to understand these factors and how critical it is to monitor them. This is one reason that it is absolutely imperative that children have an annual comprehensive eye examination by a certified optometrist. These tests should include near-point and distance examining. A second key is to ask your Eye Care Doctor about computer eyeglasses that can help to reduce vision problems and eye fatigue. Lastly, make sure any computer that your child is using is positioned for a child and not an adult. The recommended distance between the monitor and the eyes of children should be 18 - 28 inches.
Fall classes officially start tomorrow here in Bloomington! Summer has finally come to a close. Settling in this week has consisted of shoving tons of clothes in to a tiny closet, readjusting to shared bathrooms, and getting to know all the wonderful girls I'm living with this year.
A few nights ago, one of the girls came in with very red, swollen eyes. I asked her what was going on, and she informed me that she had slept in her contact lenses for three consecutive months and as a result had developed an allergy to the proteins her eyes make when she wears contacts.
This is a perfect example of why it is so important to listen to and comply with all the instructions eye care doctors give you after an eye examination.
Even premium contact lenses that have been designed for overnight wear are not made for literal constant wear for extended periods of time. It is very, very important to remove contact lenses at very least weekly and wash them thoroughly in solution to remove any protein buildup or other bacteria that may be growing on the lenses.
Wearing your contacts longer than the recommended period of time without removal can result in serious eye damage and in some cases, even blindness.
If you have any questions regarding contact lenses, feel free to contact us at any time.
www.drtavel.com/contact_us/
We recently modified and updated our website with a new version of our contact lens e-commerce site. This is a great benefit to our existing patients who want to order premium contact lenses on-line. When a Dr. Tavel contact lens patient comes in to see one of our Indianapolis Optometrists or an Optometrist at any of the other Dr. Tavel vision eye centers, you are going to not only get a comprehensive eye examination and a contact lens fit, but you will now be able to walk away with a user name and password to easily re-order your premium contact lenses through
www.drtavel.com.
Why is this important and how is it any different than ordering contact lenses through another on-line provider? When you go to
www.drtavel.com to order contact lenses on-line, you can be sure that the lenses you are ordering are for your exact prescription without the hassle of having to input the Rx from the side of their contact box. Your unique login will pull up the information and exact prescription given to you by your Indianapolis Eye Doctor or your Indiana Eye Doctor. It is as simple as logging in, plugging in how many boxes you would like and having them shipped directly to your home.
The biggest question is going to be how we compare to the other on-line providers on price. At Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care, we offer some of the best prices on contact lenses anywhere. We are incredibly price competitive so you can be sure to get the RIGHT contact lenses at the RIGHT price, every time with the convenience of having them shipped directly to your home. So whether you wear Acuvue Oasys, Air Optix Aqua, Purevision or another premium contact lens, feel free to come to us for your Indiana eye care needs.
I was in our Anderson vision center the other day and I heard a patient as one of our opticians if she could rub off the anti-reflective (AR) coating on her lenses. She had heard from someone that she shouldn't get AR because it would rub and peel off and ruin her lenses.
Being around eye doctors and in our Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care stores, I hear all kinds of rumors and myths about eye care and products, specifically glasses and lenses. This is one myth that at one point might have been true years ago. The reality is that AR coatings have come a long way in terms of the technology that is used to create this coating. The current process is that the AR is put on the lens through a process of stacks so there are multiple layers of coatings that go on the lens, making it very resistant to wear and tear. In addition, most manufacturers of AR coatings will test their lenses with thousands of rub cycles back and forth to make sure the lens will stand up to cleaning and wear and tear.
So if you are staying away from an Anti-Reflective lens coating because you are afraid it is going to rub off, then you are staying away for the wrong reason. And if you want to buy the best eye glasses possible, then you will want to make sure AR is part of the package.
Annual eye exams are very important for everyone and they are especially important for those with diabetes to monitor for any visual signs of diabetic retinopathy.
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
This is the end result of diabetic damage to the eye. Diabetes can cause damage to blood vessels throughout the body, with blood vessels in the eye being especially vulnerable. When the blood vessels in the retina become damaged, they leak and bleed and cause fluid to build up within the eye.
How Do I Know if I have Diabetic Retinopathy?
The early stages of Diabetic Retinopathy have very few symptoms. As the condition gets worse, you may experience floaters, blurry vision or sudden loss of vision. This is why annual eye examinations by your vision doctor are so important. You may not even know you have early signs of this because you don't feel any different. It is only when you have the symptoms that you notice there is a problem and then it is much more difficult to treat.
How is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?
When monitored and spotted by an eye care doctor, diabetic retinopathy can be treated with laser therapy at the early stages by a qualified vision doctor. When this gets to the stage where symptoms are noticeable and it is much more advanced, surgical intervention is typically required. Annual eye examinations for those with diabetes are a perfect example where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I recently read an article by Science Daily that found that uncorrected vision costs billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Their research estimated that there are 158 million people in the world that suffer from uncorrected refractive error and that the annual loss in productivity is around $269 Billion. Yes, that is Billion with a B.
Let's think about this for a moment because there are a few key words in this research that stick out. First of all, the billions of dollars sticks out. Then think about the fact that this is an ANNUAL amount of productivity loss. It doesn't take too many years to hit the Trillion dollar mark. The second key point is that this is due to refractive error, which means we are not talking about uncorrectable eye problems or major eye diseases. This has to do with vision impairment because people are not wearing glasses. In some cases, they haven't had it corrected because they may not feel as if they have trouble seeing or that "it isn't bad enough for me to go see a vision doctor".
This research makes a very compelling argument that everyone should have an annual eye examination with the best eye doctor possible. Seeing better and having great vision is imperative when it comes to being as productive as possible. Whether you need glasses and lenses or if you prefer to wear premium contact lenses, you should make a point to get an annual eye examination with your optometrist to ensure that you aren't one of the millions of people with uncorrected vision impairment.
Last Saturday, Team Tavel spent an amazing day down on Mass Ave in downtown Indianapolis doing a combination of promoting Rudy Project performance athletic eye wear and supporting the athletes riding in the 2009 Mass Ave Criterium. The weather was perfect and the attendance for the event was at record levels. For those that are unaware of the event, it was a bike race on the streets of downtown Indianapolis, going from Mass Ave to Vermont St to East St and north on East to Mass Ave. These men and women were MOVING! The Dr. Tavel/Rudy Project tent was at the start/finish line and when the racers went by in a big pack you could feel a big gust of wind following them as they rode by.
The Dr. Tavel Optical Group sponsored this event for two primary reasons. First, we have been a part of the Indianapolis community for almost 70 years and we love to support the community in which we live. The Mass Ave Criterium is in its infancy and we want to see this event succeed. The second reason we sponsored this is because we carry a large variety of Rudy Project sunglasses, which is one of the best athletic sunglasses available in the world. Rudy Project sunglasses have many options for a variety of sports. Cyclists love these glasses because they are unbelievably comfortable. You can bend the end of the temples to fit your head and ears, which is important when wearing a bike helmet. On top of the comfort, Rudy Project sunglasses have the best lens options you can imagine. First, they have shatter resistant lenses, they have polarized lenses and you can get a photochromic lens option as well. This is great for those riding on the road because the polarized lens is going to keep the glare from the sun out of your eyes, giving you a very clear view. The photochromic lens option is going to be critical for those going on long rides, as the lenses will adjust to the amount of light. On a cloudy day, the lenses aren't very dark and on a bright and sunny day your lenses are going to adjust accordingly and offer you a great visual experience so you can focus on riding or whatever other activities you are engaged in.
The great part of our Rudy Project brand of sunglasses is that you can get them at any Dr. Tavel location (Indianapolis, Anderson, Bloomington, etc...) AND you can get them with a prescription in the lens. Dr. Tavel can easily put your Rx in the lenses so you can get ultimate comfort and vision while wearing technically cool eye wear. That is why we are the best eye doctor in Indianapolis, offering the best eye glasses and lenses, even in the form of sunglasses!
Astigmatism is a very common eye problem in people of all ages. It is not an eye disease, but a refractive error (an error in the focusing of light). The refractive error of Astigmatism is related to the shape and size of the eye that causes blurred vision.
What causes Astigmatism?Astigmatism is generally the result of a misshapen cornea. Instead of being perfectly rounded (basketball shaped) the cornea more closely resembles a football or an egg shape. The misshapen cornea causes the eye to refract light in such a way that it produces 2 distorted images on the back of the eye, as opposed to one clear image.
How do I tell if I have Astigmatism?
An Eye examination is the best way to get an exact diagnosis. However, headaches, eyestrain and fatigue are very common symptoms as well. You may also notice blurred or distorted vision.
Can Astigmatism be treated?
Absolutely. With the corrective eyeglasses or premium contact lenses eye care doctors are able almost always to fully correct astigmatism.
It seems that people use the words "eyesight" and "vision" quite often to mean the same thing. However, did you know that you can have perfect eyesight but still have vision problems?
Eye sight is tested through one's ability to see images up close and far away (usually during an eye examination these are the charts with letters and numbers on them). At this point, the optometrist is testing for visual acuity. How accurately are your eyes seeing the image?
The term "vision" however, encompasses the idea of eyesight but goes a little bit beyond it. After testing for visual acuity, eye care doctors also check to see if the eyes are working in synch, or what is called "binocularity."
When the eyes are not working together, or one eye is working harder than the other, it is common to experience eye strain and headaches. If left untreated, eyes with poor binocularity can worsen significantly, resulting in conditions like lazy eyes.
Getting the appropriate corrective lenses made when you buy eye glasses can make a world of difference.
Many people have a correctable vision problem known as
Myopia or "nearsightedness." This means that an individual is able to see things up close, like the newspaper or a book, while
distant objects appear to be blurred or out of focus.
Detection of this issue may seem to be pretty easy without having an eye examination, but to correct it will require glasses and lenses (or contact lenses) customized for your eyes specifically.
Living with an uncorrected problem like Myopia will prove itself to be quite uncomfortable.
Constantly squinting in an effort to see far objects causes eye strain and tired eyes which can lead to headaches. It's very important to pay close attention to your eye care.
What's even more important is to consider the whole family, children most particularly. Kids often are not aware that inability to see the chalkboard at school is a problem or that a headache can be a result of needing glasses. It has been proven by several institutions that
undetected vision problems in children can significantly hinder their performance in school.
At Dr. Tavel there are huge savings available this month applicable to your yearly check-up or for back to school check ups. ($100 off frames, Free kids Lenses, 30 pairs of premium contact lenses for only $15, and many more
www.drtavel.com/whats_hot.php)
Let our family serve your family. Come in today.
I bet you never knew there were glasses and lenses specifically made for Shark Sighting!
I just got back from eating lunch at TGI Friday's where, as I sat waiting for my salad, I was watching a silenced version of the daily news. One story in particular caught my attention though. Apparently, a fisherman who was fishing off the coast of Alabama sighted a 12 foot great white shark! Yikes.
It was funny to me because I was thinking "there is no way he could've seen Jaws without polarized lenses." I say that because water produces a very intense reflection that makes it very difficult to see below the surface if there is virtually any sunlight.
A polarized lens however, works wonders for this type of activity because it was designed to remove glare and reflections resulting in bright, vivid colors and crisp, clear images. The polarized filter works like Venetian blinds, redirecting the scattered light so it doesn't blind you.
I'm telling you, eye care is such a cool industry. The options in the optical field are sort of like the iphone advertisement where they say "Yep. There's an AP for that." ... Our version?
"Yep, there's a lens for that." There is a lens for every single activity, every single life style, you name it, we've got it.
And the best part? All these options are available to you in all of Dr. Tavel's Indianapolis optical and surrounding optical locations. With the most technologically advanced eyeglasses Indianapolis has to offer you can honestly find anything you can dream up.
So I finally broke down and purchased some prescription sunglasses after a very frustrating drive to work with the sun blinding me. I own a pair of sunglasses, but I only wear them when I have my premium contact lenses in. When I go to work, I wear my eyeglasses, which has meant that I have to deal with sun and glare on my commute to the office. Well, no longer. I bought a pair of sunglasses that I had my prescription put into so I can swap out my eyeglasses when I get in the car for a pair of prescription sunglasses. The great part is that I didn't get just any sunglasses. I bought a pair of Columbia sunglasses, which are the most comfortable pair of eye wear that I have ever put on.
On top of buying a very comfortable pair of sunglasses, the prescription sun lens I put into these glasses was a polarized sun lens. Talk about reducing glare. Not only does it block the sun, but it blocks the glare from all objects and provides for excellent optics. I didn't realize this before because my basic pair of sunglasses are not polarized. The drive to work is now crisp and clear optically, which is critical when DRIVING!
Based on this, I highly recommend that the next time you buy eye glasses that you also consider a prescription pair that are polarized. You can thank me later.
This morning in Indianapolis it absolutely poured rain! I was on my way in to work and hit all sorts of obstacles because of the crazy thunderstorm that is going on right now. I drove through a 2 foot deep puddle, was rerouted due to a lightning induced fire, and hydroplaned several times. How anything could be on fire in all this rain, I have no idea. But it was.
As I drove up Kessler Blvd. I noticed myself squinting and slowing down to almost 15 miles per hour to make sure I was staying on the road. It occured to me that if I hadn't been wearing my glasses I probably would've been in the ditch.
This situation is certainly a scary one, but its a good note to remind you how important it is to have an eye examination.
There are so many obstacles (both natural and man-made) that make it difficult for our eyes to function properly that can be eased with customized lenses.Dr. Tavel and his associate Indianapolis optometrists are consistently prescribing premium contact lenses and the highest quality eyeglasses Indianapolis has to offer. Be sure to schedule an appointment for you and your family at any of our convenient Indiana locations.
www.drtavel.com/schedule/
With school just a couple weeks around the corner our Indiana eye doctors are seeing hundreds of students a week! The schedule is getting tight, so the time to schedule an eye examination is now!
Is your child headed off to college? Dr. Tavel has Indiana vision centers in nearly every Indiana college town. Our Bloomington eye doctor (as well as our Columbus eye doctors) is happy to help the Hoosiers all year round! If your kid is a Ball State Cardinal up in Muncie, we have a brand new location there too! Our Anderson vision center, Fishers location, as well as 11 other Indianapolis Optical locations are all ready to help your student prepare for the upcoming year.
Got Contacts?
You can now have your college kid re-order her contacts online at
www.drtavel.com/contacts/order.php.
We want to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone! As we like to say, let our family serve your family. Trust your vision to Dr. Tavel.
Go Hoosiers! :)
Back to school means lots of new and exciting things for kids and parents! New backpacks, new clothes, new spelling words, new friends, all sorts of things.
But, being around lots of kids all day long can also mean new bacteria...not so exciting. In classroom or daycare environments the spread of bacteria or infection can happen very quickly.
That said, here are a few tips for Pink Eye Prevention this school year:
-Children and Adults should wash their hands often using anti-bacterial soap.
-Don't share hand towels, science goggles, or personal items with other students.
If a child or adult has been exposed to Pink Eye take the following steps to help prevent spreading the infection:
-Avoid rubbing itchy eyes, as this spreads the bacteria to the hand, and then to whatever the hand touches.
-Do not wear contact lenses. Even premium contact lenses with aqua comfort can cause further irritation to an infected eye.
- Stay home! Placing a child or adult into a crowded environment is a very easy way to introduce Pink Eye to a large group of people. It is recommended that people diagnosed with Pink eye stay at home for 3 - 5 days.
-Use anti-bacterial wipes and sprays to wipe down any common areas that may have been touched by an infected person.
Of course, it is always in your best interest to visit they eye care doctors at Dr. Tavel and have an eye examination if you suspect you or your child may have Pink Eye. Better safe than sorry I always say.
ABC 7 - a TV station out of Chicago published a wonderful article titled "Detecting Disease Through the Eyes" on July 15th. This couldn't be any more relevant.
The introduction reads:
"July 15, 2009 (WLS) -- Most people think of their eye examination as time to update their lens prescription or catch the beginnings of eye disease like glaucoma, but few people know
an eye exam can catch early signs of diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and brain tumors."Absolutely right! Few people realize that an eye exam can quickly identify so many life threatening diseases without being invasive at all. There are no needles involved, we won't strip you down and put you on a scale, and we certainly won't sit you in the exam room and make you wait 20 minutes for the doctor to arrive.
As the most prominent Indianapolis Optometrist and most well known Indiana Vision Center, Dr. Tavel is proud to say that our staff is highly educated and thoroughly trained to be positioned as the medical expert when it comes to eye care.
Let our family serve your family. Trust your vision to Dr. Tavel.
For the full article:
abclocal.go.com/wls/story
In considering the elements of eye care, terms can get a little confusing. Fear not! Dr. Tavel is here to help.
The Ophthalmologist: This individual is a medical doctor who specializes vision care. What differentiants this individual from regular vision providers is that he or she may perform eye surgery.
The Optometrist: This is the professional who specializes in eye examinations. During this exam the doctor will test for diseases, visual acuity, and prescribe premium contact lenses or glasses. (Dr. Tavel and his associates are Indiana eye dcotors aka "optometrists")
The Optician: These are the men and women that fill the doctor's prescription, fit glasses and lenses, and train the patient to use contact lenses. (In all of our Indianapolis Optical locations (You can find Dr. Tavel opticians smiling and ready to help in all of our state-wide and Indianapolis optical locations.)
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